Vehicle doors are typically constructed with two or more panels attached to the door frame, including an exterior or outer panel for shielding the passenger compartment from the elements, and an inner door panel which provides structural support. A trim panel is usually fastened to the inner door panel facing the passenger compartment and shields the vehicle occupants from internal door components, such as the window, the window regulator, and the door locks. The trim panel can also provide aesthetic qualities to the interior passenger compartment as well as ergonomic features, for example, easily accessible door handles, mirror and window controls, and the like.
Some vehicle door constructions may also include side bolsters of foam or honeycomb construction to lessen the effects of a side collision. A disadvantage of the side bolster mounted on the occupant compartment side of the trim panel is the reduction of the lateral space available to the occupants. That problem was addressed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/221,282, assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference wherein side bolsters are mounted adjacent either the inner panel or the outer panel and protract through the trim panel for deployment into the occupant compartment during a side collision. Manufacture of the trim panel to receive the bolsters, however, requires a more complicated and expensive process than for a trim panel without the bolters deployed therethrough.